Past Perfect

We use the Past Perfect Tense to make it clear that one event happened before another, both of them happening in the past. 

HAD / HADN’T + PAST PARTICIPLE

 

We explained that we had thought about a comprehensive procedure on how to address security flaws, as it was certainly needed. However, they weren’t keen on the idea, and it hasn’t developed beyond the original suggestion.

We can see in this example that they had thought about the comprehensive procedure before they explained their idea. One past moment happens before another past moment. The first one uses the Past Perfect Tense.

 

This tense is often used with adverbs like ALREADY and JUST.

 

When they suggested a comprehensive procedure on how to address security flaws, we explained that we had already considered that, and that we thought it was a priority.

In this example, we can see that already is placed between had and considered, and expresses the fact that they thought of the procedure, then somebody else mentioned it. Now the speaker is explaining how those things happened in a sequence. They had already considered it, before it was suggested.

 

Here’s one with JUST and ALREADY:
We explained that even though they had just mentioned the idea of a comprehensive procedure on how to address security flaws, we had in fact already considered it and thought that it should be a priority.

Here we can see that the topic was considered a long time before it was later mentioned by the other person. It is like saying: we thought about this before, and you have only just mentioned it. 

 

When this began, you had probably already used the past perfect many times. Remember, it is for one thing in the past that happens before something else in the past.